Why Yorkshire’s men need a health strategy

Men in Yorkshire are facing some of the worst cancer challenges in the country. They’re more likely to get cancer, and more likely to die from cancer, than men in most other parts of England.

That’s why Yorkshire Cancer Research is backing the development of a Men’s Health Strategy - a national plan that recognises the unique challenges men face and takes action to improve their health.

The charity has shared its views with the Government, focusing on three key areas: reducing cancer risk factors, improving cancer survival, and helping men get the support they need from the NHS. 

In 2021, more than 16,000 men in Yorkshire were told they had cancer. Yet research shows nearly four in ten cancers (38%) in men are preventable. That’s why improving support to help men avoid cancer risk factors is so important.

Smoking causes nearly 2,800 new cancer cases in men in Yorkshire each year. Stopping smoking significantly reduces the risk of being diagnosed with cancer, People who get support to quit are three times more likely to succeed than those who try alone. To help more people quit, the charity wants to see people automatically enrolled in stop smoking support during interaction with any NHS service, from lung checks to mental health appointments.

Excess body weight is another major risk factor. While more men than women in England are living with excess weight, men are less likely to be referred to weight loss services. And men are also more likely to develop cancers that affect both sexes, such as bowel cancer, due to excess weight. In Yorkshire, some weight management services are limited and do not include, for example, personalised diet and exercise programmes. To address this, every local NHS area should offer a full range of weight management services.

Alcohol is also a concern. In Yorkshire and the Humber, twice as many men drink more than the recommended weekly limit compared to women. Yet many men don’t know that alcohol can cause cancer. A national awareness campaign could help close that gap.

Men in Yorkshire are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than anywhere else in England. Yorkshire is also England’s third worst region when it comes to men losing their lives to cancer.

One reason could be a lack of screening programmes for cancers that affect men only, which means men can be less likely to be diagnosed with cancer at an early stage or have their cancer prevented. 

For example, 56% of prostate cancers in Yorkshire are diagnosed at a late stage, compared to just 15% of breast cancers. That may be partly because women are invited to a national screening programme for breast cancer that has been established since 1988. Meanwhile, research is still in progress to gather the evidence needed to introduce prostate screening.  

Men are also less likely to take part in cancer screening programmes that are available to them. In 2023/24, 70% of women participated in the bowel cancer screening programme within six months of their invitation, compared to just 65% of men.  

Yet, men in Yorkshire are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with bowel cancer than women with 87 cases per 100,000 men, compared to 57 cases per 100,000 women.  

Yorkshire Cancer Research is calling for innovation in cancer screening, especially for prostate cancer. The charity is funding a new clinical trial called IMProVE, which aims to help gather the evidence required to introduce a national prostate screening programme.

Once a safe and effective cancer screening method is ready, it should be rolled out quickly to save lives. This is a policy Yorkshire Cancer Research is asking to be included in the National Cancer Plan as part of its White Rose campaign.  

Men are less likely to visit their GP when something feels wrong, and that delay can lead to being diagnosed with cancer at a late stage.

From a young age, women have many opportunities to be in regular contact with health services due to reproductive reasons such as contraception, pregnancy and menopause, This may make them more likely to seek help for both physical and mental health. In contrast, men often have fewer opportunities to engage with healthcare and may not have seen a GP since childhood, leading to missed early signs of cancer and unmanaged risk factors like smoking and excess weight.

This is evident in data from the National Cancer Patient Experience survey which shows that men who go on to be diagnosed with cancer wait longer before contacting their GP for medical advice compared to women. In 2023, 14% of men diagnosed with cancer in England waited at least six months before going to the GP after thinking something might be wrong, compared to 10% of women.

Men are also slightly more likely to have to see their GP more times before being urgently referred for cancer tests. In the same year, nearly 58% of men spoke to their GP just once before diagnosis compared to nearly 66% of women.

Often, men downplay symptoms and only go to the GP when there’s something seriously wrong. That’s why it’s crucial to make the most of the moments when men do turn to the NHS for help. Combining multiple health checks into one appointment, for example, can make a big difference.

A powerful example is the Yorkshire Enhanced Stop Smoking Study (YESS), funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, which found that offering stop smoking support during lung screening appointments led to a high number of people successfully quitting. It’s a simple but effective way to reach men in places, situations, or moments where they’re already present and thinking about their health.  

With the right support, awareness and access to effective health services, we can help more men live longer, healthier lives, free from cancer.

Everyone deserves the chance to enjoy more moments together. Let’s give Yorkshire’s men the tools they need to look after their health.